NIELSEN MUSIC / MRC DATA MIDYEAR REPORT U.S. 2020 1 Introduction HAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW MONTHS MAKE. IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT wasn’t even six months ago that Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed for a tightly packed crowd of over 60,000 people in Miami at the Super Bowl, while Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas picked up five Grammys at what turned out to be 2020’s last major music business gathering since COVID-19 halted live events. WBy Friday, March 13, the NBA and NHL had suspended play, the NCAA had canceled its spring tournaments, and theaters and live music venues had closed. As “safer at home” orders spread throughout the country, our homes became our offices, our schools, our daycares and our social hubs. Quickly and dramatically, life had changed. Our routines were disrupted, and we struggled to find balance. Still, the music industry was experiencing a strong start to the year. Audio streaming was growing through early March, up 20% over the same period in 2019. Vinyl, fresh off its 14th straight year of growth, also was up an astonishing 45%. Total audio consumption was up 15% in the first 10 weeks of the year. As working from home became a reality for many, some of the key music listening hours, such as during commutes, were disrupted. But one thing that has remained consistent as the pandemic has unfolded is entertainment’s place in helping consumers escape, relax and feel energized. In fact, in our recent consumer research studies, 73% of people said they would go crazy without entertainment during this time. Then, just as many communities began to slowly reopen, the nation was shaken by the senseless May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. This event, coupled with other recent acts of racial injustice, activated a widespread public outcry for social reform. Protests, marches and rallies took Total audio place across the nation as our attention focused on Black Lives Matter and police reform. The artistic community, as it always consumption has, responded with powerful music — Lil Baby, Meek Mill, Beyoncé and many other performers delivered messages in was up 15% new releases that dominated streaming’s playlists. Please join us in looking back at the major stories in the in the first industry over the first six months of 2020. We are encouraged by the continued strong demand for music. We celebrate the 10 weeks of creativity that artists have shown and the new ways that they the year. By are staying engaged with their fan bases. We hope that you find this data informative, as we all seek to quantify the trends and mid-March, look forward to the rest of the year. As always, we would love to hear from you to learn how we can provide more tools to that would prepare you for music’s ever-changing landscape. Email us at [email protected]. all change. 2 Contents 2020 MIDYEAR HIGHLIGHTS ��������������������������������������������������������4 2020 MIDYEAR MOMENTS ������������������������������������������������������������6 2020 MIDYEAR CHARTS ���������������������������������������������������������������25 In this report, Nielsen Music/MRC Data is using a 26-week period for this year, running from Jan. 3 through July 2, while last year’s corresponding period ran from Jan. 4, 2019, through July 4, 2019. 3 Total Consumption AUDIO MIDYEAR 2020 (ALBUM + TEA + ON-DEMAND AUDIO SEA) 2019 330.3M +9.4 2020 361.2M % CHG. TEA (track-equivalent albums): 10 digital tracks = one album. Highlights SEA (stream-equivalent albums): 1,250 premium streams = one album. 3,750 ad-supported streams = one album. SES (stream-equivalent songs): 125 premium streams = one song. 375 ad-supported streams = one song. Due to reporting PRE-/POST-COVID-19 ANALYSIS: 2020 VS. SAME PERIOD 2019 methodology changes from a major video provider, year- YEAR TO DATE over-year video comparisons THROUGH TOTAL 2020 are not reflective of industry MARCH 12 MARCH 13-JULY 2 YEAR TO DATE trends and therefore have been left out of this report. Total Audio Activity +14.6% +6.2% +9.4% Note: The term “total album- equivalent consumption” On-Demand Audio Streaming +20.4% +13.8% +16.2% describes the number of physical and digital albums that were sold and the total Total Album Sales -6.7% -25.2% -18.1% number of album-equivalent songs from downloads and song streaming volume. Physical Albums +4.6% -35.4% -20.3% For the sake of clarity, the definition of total album- equivalent consumption does Digital Album -24.6% -7.3% -14.3% not include listening to music on broadcast radio or digital radio broadcasts. Unless Digital Song Sales -26.4% -21.2% -23.3% otherwise noted, all numbers are volume. 4 On-Demand Song Streaming AUDIO 2019 361.1B +16.2 2020 419.8B % CHG. Total Album Sales + TEA 2019 72.3M -19.3 2020 58.3M % CHG. Album-Equivalent Consumption DIGITAL (DIGITAL ALBUMS + TEA + ON-DEMAND AUDIO SEA) 2019 295.3M +12.9 2020 333.3M % CHG. Total Album Sales Catalog vs. Current Consumption (PHYSICAL + DIGITAL) (CATALOG IS DEFINED AS TITLES OLDER THAN 18 MONTHS) -18.1 2019 55.6M % CHG. Catalog 2020 45.5M 2019 63% +10.7 2020 64 % VOLUME Digital Album Sales % CHG. -14.3 Volume 2019 20.6M 2019 208.2M % CHG. 2020 17.7M 2020 230.5M Physical Album Sales (INCLUDES VINYL LPs) Current -20.3 2019 37% +7.1 2019 35M 2020 36% VOLUME % CHG. % CHG. 2020 27.9M Volume Vinyl LP Sales 2019 122.0M 2020 130.7M 2019 8.3M +11.2 % CHG. 2020 9.2M Due to reporting methodology changes from a major video provider, year-over-year video comparisons are not reflective of industry trends and therefore have been Digital Track Sales left out of this report. Note: The term “total album-equivalent consumption” describes the number of physical -23.3 and digital albums that were sold and the total number of album-equivalent songs 2019 166.6M from downloads and song streaming volume. For the sake of clarity, the definition of % CHG. total album-equivalent consumption does not include listening to music on broadcast 2020 127.8M radio or digital radio broadcasts. Unless otherwise noted, all numbers are volume. 5 THE MARKET BEFORE COVID-19 WAS SURGING HE RECORDED-MUSIC BUSINESS WAS CELEBRATING units, compared with the previous-year total. And CD sales rosy results on all fronts before the coronavirus were down only 8.3% — a smaller drop than in the same crashed the party. Through March 12, total audio period last year, and a beacon of hope that CD sales declines consumption was up 14.6% to 141.8 million might continue to ease. Talbum-equivalent units. Sales of albums plus tracks, or Meanwhile, the usual slate of early-year events that put track-equivalent albums, were down by just 11.3%, a decent music on the national stage gave a select group of artists, figure given the sharp — but expected — declines in digital including some new global superstars, substantial boosts download sales. Vinyl LP sales were up 45%, or 1.41 million in streams. The Grammy Awards on Jan. 26 gave performers a 76% spike in audio streams and a 50% lift to winners collectively. Tracks by BILLIE EILISH — winner of album, record and song of the year, as well as best new artist — jumped 53% the day after the ceremony, while the major record labels hailed the 18-year-old’s sweep of the Big Four awards as a victory for old-fashioned artist development. Other stars had people hitting the Play button, too: Camila Cabello’s “First Man” rocketed 750%, Lil Nas X’s “Rodeo” climbed 154%, and Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” rose 51%. Eilish at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Shakira (left) and (Alberto E� Rodriguez/Getty Images Lopez at the Pepsi for The Recording Academy) Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show in Miami. (Kevin Mazur/ WireImage) A week later, on Feb. 2, the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show, starring JENNIFER LOPEZ and SHAKIRA, provided a 193% boost in audio and video streams to the artists’ combined catalogs the day after the game. The annual tradition impressed with an average TV audience of 102 million in the United States, up 4% from Maroon 5’s performance a year earlier, according to Nielsen. EMINEM’s surprise performance at the Academy Awards on Feb. 9 gave his track “Lose Yourself” a 385% increase in Eminem (Craig McDean) total streams the following day. 6 THE GLOBAL VIEW COVID-19’s impact on the global recorded-music market resembled trends in the United States� As people adapted to stay-at-home requirements, daily music video streams followed a different AFTER COVID-19, THE pattern seen stateside� After increasing for several weeks, video streams dropped sharply in the third week and began to plateau the following week� In the United MARKET WENT HAYWIRE States, video streams dropped to 2�1% below baseline before increasing for the next seven HEN THE CORONAVIRUS above the pre-COVID-19 baseline weeks (Release 4)�* pandemic ensued, halting the by early May. After a seven-week Global audio streams recovered concerts that artists and labels downturn, audio streaming also has by the week ending April 30 and began to plateau four weeks later� count on to market their music recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels. Global song sales took a different Tand wreaking havoc on the global Physical purchases took a hit from path: After initially falling 15%, economy. Nielsen Music/MRC Data mid-March to June (limited openings song sales jumped to 10% above and Billboard teamed up to monitor varied by state and city) as many baseline by mid-April and fell back below baseline by early June� consumer behavior and attitudes, music retailers were closed to foot and released a series of reports titled traffic, though some independent COVID-19: Tracking the Impact on the stores sold vinyl through curbside Entertainment Landscape.* Consumer pickup or home delivery.